llis began taking photographs at the age of 11 and, as a teenager, worked at a photographic processing shop while assisting still-life photographers. At 23, he moved to New York to assist fashion photographer Steven Meisel, before returning to London to work with Nick Knight. His photographs were published in Dazed and Confused from 1996, followed by work for magazines including i-D, The Face, GQ and Vogue. His experience in fashion photography established a foundation in lighting, framing and visual composition, which he subsequently brought to filmmaking.
Ellis moved into film through music-video directing before writing and directing short films. His short Cashback (2004) received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film and was later expanded into a feature released in 2006. He followed it with The Broken (2008), continuing to develop a visual approach influenced by photography and genre cinema.
A significant development in Ellis's cinematography came with Metro Manila (2013), which he directed, wrote and photographed. Made on a very limited budget and shot in the Philippines, the film used a small crew and a documentary-influenced camera style to create a sense of immediacy and realism. Ellis operated the camera, pulled focus and recorded sound himself, using a Canon 5D. The production demonstrated his ability to combine directing and cinematography while maintaining close proximity to the actors and locations. The film won three awards at the British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film.
Ellis subsequently directed and photographed Anthropoid (2016), the Second World War drama starring Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan. The film's visual approach included handheld camerawork, reflecting his view that the cinematography should respond to the story rather than impose a uniform style. He later directed and photographed Eight for Silver, released internationally as The Cursed (2021), a period horror film shot on 35mm film. His more recent cinematography credits include The Cut (2024), a boxing drama starring Orlando Bloom, for which he used 35mm and 16mm film stocks and combined locations around London with additional footage filmed in Las Vegas.
Ellis's career encompasses fashion photography, music videos, short films, feature directing and cinematography. His work as a director of photography is particularly associated with productions on which he has also directed, allowing him to develop the visual language of a film from its initial conception through to the finished image. His membership of the British Society of Cinematographers recognises his professional work in the craft, alongside a career that continues to bridge photography and narrative filmmaking.